I have a 617 and had a single six. Not single ten. They are both very nice.
The S&W 617 is the next tier above the Ruger.
S&W has a better trigger pull, and heft, grip. I shoot the 617 a lot better than the Ruger I sold. It has better balance, sights, feel, and it looks incredible. It's a range gun for me, too heavy to reasonably tote in the woods all day.
The ruger is better for that.
I shoot my 617 as well and any 22lr pistol ive ever fired. Double or single action are awesome. You know my vote.

 

Add on.
When I get the 617 out everyone around me wants to shoot it. Men women and children. It's a crowd favorite. Other firearms get left on the table regardless of features.

 

I own both a 617-1 with 4 inch bbl, and a Super Single-six with 4 5/8 inch bbl. I like both revolvers a lot, but the 617 has a crisper trigger and faster lock time than the Single-six, and it shows in my results when shooting them.

 

Ruger makes some very nice 22's.
I think the MKII is one of the best when it comes to semi autos.
When it comes down to revolvers , S&W tops the list.

 

Having both I prefer the 617. It balances better in my hand, trigger pull is better and there are a lot more upgrades available. Especially sights. As stated by Lv2Fish, I get a lot of people wanting to try it and have lent it to guys shooting Steel Challenge when their autos didn't work.

 

The Ruger GP100 is what you should be looking at if you want to stay with Ruger. Double action 10 shot.

 

Colt has the new 22lr King Cobra out. Time will tell.

 

The Colt is gorgeous! The GP100 is also a good option. The 617, GP100 and King Cobra are roughly the same price. The only videos I've seen of the King Cobra make me want to wait.

The new list for me to consider is (random order)
617
GP100
Single Ten

The thread has evolved to a new question. How do the 617 and GP100 compare?

 

As much as I like Ruger (I have various MK series, Single Six, /22's, #1), my 4" 617 is ALWAYS in my range bag and the pistol others want to shoot the most. Descriptions I hear from others when they shoot it include "solid", "smooth", and "incredible". That thing gets more attention than anything else I bring and goes through a SpeedBeez loading block in nothing flat.
I have never heard of someone regretting buying a 617. I have heard of folks wishing they had an older model or lamenting the internal lock (which can be deleted), but not in owning or shooting the pistol.

 

I have the SINGLE SIX STAINLESS - haven't shot it in a long time. The RUGER MARK PISTOLS is a standout amoung semiautos, I prefer the 5.5'' BULL BARRELS or the slightly longer SLAB SIDE Models. I have several and have shot many CASES of CCI MINI MAGS through them and still love to do that. Seriously believe EVERYBODY that wants to be a better HANDGUNNER NEEDS ONE. I LOVE the GP100 w/ barrel around 5''. It is very accurate. The stock trigger is fine for me but easily and safely improved. DOUBLE ACTIONS are fine to shoot in SINGLE ACTION but reserve the Double Action ability for PRACTICE or use (think - GAMES) DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS have a lot to teach us and the 22 RIMFIRE makes it the perfect platform. The 617 is also an excellent handgun. I love my 4'' model. The stock trigger is fine for me but it too is easily and safely improved. I shoot BOTH of these revolvers a LOT, mostly with CCI MINI MAGS & CCI STANDARD VELOCITY. Can't go wrong with any of these. NOTE: waiting on COLT KING COBRA TARGET 22 w/ 4'' barrel - COLT CUSTOMER SERVICE states they have been focused on the PYTHON. More King Cobra revolvers first quarter next year. Hope they are shooters!

 

"Worth more" is pretty subjective. I had both and sold the Single Ten, only to purchase a Single Six some years later. I still shoot the 617 more though.

Why? Let's start with the differences you asked about. The Ten is a single action, gate-loading revolver. This means loading rounds one at a time. Ejecting spent cases too. The 617 is a SA/DA revolver with a crane-and-cylinder loading system. So ejection is all at once. Speedloaders can be used with the 617, but not the Ten. My 617 had a smoother trigger out of the box than my Ten. My 617 was also more accurate than my Ten, although that's just a comparison of two pistols, not a statement that one is inherently more accurate than the other. The Ten had a lightpipe style fiber optic front sight. I prefer black patridge for the front.

Then there is the fact that the 617 has the same frame and trigger as my 686, so it is a good practice platform. I do own a Ruger in .45 LC, but I don't shoot it as often as the 686 in . 357.

So for me, the answer is "yes." I don't recall what I paid for the 617. It was the first pistol I ever bought. I also have a GP100, as I liked the "no underlug" design. But the 617 still has the edge on best groups and if I could only have one, the S&W would be it.

 

Just another note to respect the "thread drift." The GP100 is a nice revolver, but it took some work to get it there for me. My 617 was great out of the box. As mentioned above, the 617 was my first handgun. The only thing I didn't like about it was the underlug -- and my objections had nothing do to with function. I just never liked the look of the thing, and it isn't as if a .22 LR round produces a ton of muzzle rise. I was actually mid-way through a conversation with my smith about grinding the underlug off, and he said, "Why don't you just get the Ruger GP100? Instead of destroying the resale value of your 617, you can shoot a similar revolver that was designed without the underlug." So that's the route I went, because my smith is smarter than me about handguns.

Well the GP100 arrived and there were two problems I noticed right away. The first was that the revolver wasn't correctly timed. It was spitting lead back at the shooter and the accuracy was not that great. Also the trigger was heavy and gritty. Ruger uses CNC machining to put together their pistols. Are far as I know they are tested for fire function only. There is no polishing or handfitting. Put 'em together, and get 'em out the door. So the Ruger went back to the NH mothership the day after its first range trip for correction to the timing. Ruger clearly spends their bux on customer service, not QC out the door -- not disparaging, just observing. My pistol should have never been sold to a member of the shooting public in its original condition. That said, they turned it around quickly and solved the problem. Great customer service, as I said. Not quite enough to save the "first day at the range" experience, but that's another matter. The triggers on these things are a brilliant design. Removal of the entire group was almost tool-less (you need a screw driver, and that's about it) and polishing the mating surfaces with an Arkansas stone and some oil did not take long. I was a bit surprised that it needed it. After all the 617 just worked great right out of the box. But if you don't mind the extra elbow grease, you might overlook the quality of the Ruger triggers. It probably would have slicked up on its own after a couple of thousand rounds . . . but still.

After all that, the S&W still does better, group wise off a bench. Is that important if you are shooting steel? I don't know, only you can answer that question. My GP100 also has an odd "ping" vibration on each shot. I have no idea what causes it, but it is a bit distracting if you are following through on a slow fire course of fire. Here's my current set up with the GP100 and some typical 15 yard rested groups.

Here's my 617 (on the bottom) and a typical set of its 15 yard groups (BTW, those are eight consecutive 15 yard groups off an MTM rest with no cleaning or pause between them (e.g. not cherry picked like that target right above this text). What I am saying is that the 617 prodced these groups with different ammo one after the other, and it is what I have come to expect from the revolver):

Finally, I did go back to the Single Six format eventually. I got a "Bilsley" Single Six, which I tricked out this way:



This pistol also came from Ruger with a problem out of the box. I think one of the cylinders wasn't drilled true. Either that, or it was my old friend "timing problem" back for another go. Here's the Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot target from that first day out:



As you can see, off a rest at 15 yards, one cylinder chamber was consistently shooting about 3-4 inches to the left.
I am not saying that S&W doesn't occasionally goof up, but my own experience with them has been of a "get it right the first time" variety. Ruger's very efficient customer service made the Single Six function properly, but I don't have the sense that they particularly mind if their customers have experience after experience along the same lines. FWIW, I never had a problem with any of Ruger's .22 semi-autos, so it isn't like they don't know how to produce a gun that works first-time, every-time. It's just that in my experience with their revolvers, you have to be prepared for a bit more process than perhaps you'd like. Not saying they won't make it right eventually. But I have the uneasy feeling that I have been turned into Ruger's unpaid QC division on its wheelgun sales.

Hope this helps.

 

Hey sir I really hope you see this! I’m looking into getting a S&W 617 and stumbled upon this thread and have absolutely fallen in love and been sold on it after seeing the two you have. I’m especially fond of the bottom one in the photo you shared, I think I’m gonna build mine out similarly with the 6in version. Can you tell all the mods you’ve made? I’d like to know the grips, optic, and picatinny mount you used. Also I would really appreciate it if you contacted me with the info on Instagram @tylerlichon or with an email at tylerlichon@gmail.com since I’ve never used this forum before and I’m not sure if I’ll be notified if you reply on here. Thank you so much for the inspiration and possible help flangster.🙏🏼

 

Flangster, thank you for the excellent information. Now I need more money!

 

I've owned ALLOT of full sized 22 revolvers in my time to include several Single 6's, a Single 10, 10 or so 17/617's and ( most recently) a GP100. I think I did a review here on the GP100 recently if you look but the short answer to your question is that YES, both the 617's and GP100-22s are worth the extra $ over the single 10. I've thinned the herd these days to keep only what I want to shoot regularly but still keep a 617 and GP100 -22 for range fun. They are worth every cent.

 

Ruger makes a great product, so does S&W, so the Smith vs Ruger argument is like Ford vs Chevy. I have owned a GP100 in the past and currently have a 617, which is my choice hands down. For me, the 617 has a better trigger, more grip selection, and the fit and finish are superior. That makes the price difference worth it for me, but I am a Smith revolver fan in general, so I know I am biased. Buy whichever one feels better in your hands because THAT one is the one you will shoot more accurately. You can't go wrong with either.

 

Have the 6 shot versions of both - 4" and 6" 617s and 5.5" Single Sixes , one blued , one stainless. The Smiths have the better fit , finish and refinement. The DA Smiths in SA are essentially creep free while the Rugers have the signature creep. I worked on my stainless Single Six years ago and got quite a good trigger.

In regards to accuracy among my 4 samples the 6" 617 has been the most consistently accurate at 25 and 50 yards , actually the most accurate shooting revolver I have ever owned. Since buying it used almost 2 years ago it has been fired more than any of my other handguns since then. My 23 year old stainless Single Six is still quite a good shooter though and has turned in some pretty good targets over the years.

Here is the 617-5 with 25 yard target shot SA with a standing two hand hold. CCI std. vel. is the usual ammo but it like Mini-Mags too.

 

Everyone should own a 17/617 and a Single Six, (convertible). My SS is early 70's 6.5" Stainless, My 17, mid 80's, has the 6"barrel. No scopes. The S&W trigger is out of the box. The SS trigger needed a spring upgrade, and I polished the trigger surfaces, gently, with a very fine stone, and buffed the finish.

Accuracy with both is a slave to ammo, eyesight, and how you are testing the accuracy.
With the right ammo, the M17 is more accurate than the SS at 25 and 50yds. (1/2"-1" at 25/50yds). Not a lot.
With a bucket of bullets, shooting offhand, most shooters would not likely ever see a difference.
There's no excuse with either, head shooting a rabbit at 25-30yds. At 50yds, both will land a lung shot on a groundhog if the shooter is paying attention.

The biggest advantage with the SS, is the .22WMR cylinder. The M17 has the edge for finish and "feel". As noted above, you need both to be happy

 

Being a bit older, I've owned a number of 22 Revolvers. There's no doubt that S&W makes some of the best 22's. I've had S&W's, Colt's, Ruger's, and other odd balls but the S&W revolver is the best. The Model 17 (K-22) is remarkable. The 617 is sturdy and refined. A word of caution for old guys, the 617 is very heavy especially in a 6 or 8 inch barrel. I sold my 6 inch 617, too heavy. I do intend to replace it with a 4 inch 617 that for me would be a bit more manageable. If you want something that is lighter, then look at the 8 shot Moel 63 S&W.
The Ruger's that I have owned have all been good sturdy trouble free guns but not the quality of a S&W. You get what you pay for.
I hope the new Colt Cobra is in the same category as the Smith, we'll see!

 

I hope the new Colt Cobra is in the same category as the Smith, we'll see!

Of the guns that I regret passing on to this day: A set of .22LR Colt Diamond Backs, With 2", 4", 6" barrels, and a pair of Diamond back .38's with 4" and 6" barrels. I had hundreds of dollars in my pockets, they were going for thousands at the time. Oh well If the Cobra's are even close, spend and run. You can always regret it later, (but probably won't).

 

i dont have either of the OP items but i enjoyed reading all of your thoughts here , i do have single six and a dan wesson so i can relate to whats being discussed , i dont shoot bulseye with either so i cannot attest to the accuracy , its better than im capable of anymore ,

 

I have never shot a 617 but of all the S&W revolvers I have shot all were ready to go right out of the box, no smoothing of any thing needed. The older Rugers, single six, blackhawk, and super blackhawks came with excellent triggers. The newer one's I've owned needed help. Usually dropping one leg of the hammer spring accomplished this but I have one that needed the internals polished. The Rugers have a longer lock time simply because of the distance the hammers have to travel plus they have a larger, heavier hammer. That does make a difference. If I were shooting paper targets in competition I would choose a Smith. Hunting, steel, etc., either will get the job done nicely, and I enjoy the single actions more than the Smiths. My opinion and worth just what it costs.

 

I'm a huge 22 revolver fan. My favorite has been the S&W 63-5 3" which has a permanent spot in my range bag. My 617 4" joins me quite a bit as does the Single-Ten. The Single-Ten is a different beast, the trigger is sweet, smooth and the hammer hits with authority setting off the old crappy ammo. I picked up a GP-100 and a SP-101, the 4" 101 is awesome and fun to shoot, great balance. Smooth D/A trigger and crisp S/A. The 6" GP is also just as smooth, but the 42 ounce weight is a tad much, but sure tames the recoil of the 22LR... Pictures to follow.